Cameron Douglas Opens Up About His ‘Dark’ Past and Optimism as a Father of Two

The actor spoke with PEOPLE about a recent episode of his talk show Addiction Talk by American Addiction Center where he opened up about how he navigates relationships and family alongside recovery.

Family Ties

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cameron Douglas (@cameronmorrelldouglas)

“They’ve all read my book,” Cameron said of his family, “so they know pretty much all the ins and the outs, but thankfully, they have not needed any of my expertise in that area.”

He chatted a bit about his younger siblings. “They’re all fantastic. One of them just graduated from college. The other one is a sophomore, and then the other three are on their way next year. They’re all doing fantastic.”

He also plans to discuss addiction and recovery with his young children when they’re older. Douglas hopes to prioritize and establish openness and honesty.

“I’m certainly not going to try to hide anything from them. The idea is to be in a position that I’m feeling good about and making them feel good about. All that stuff is just in the past. Maybe some interesting stories for the campfire one day,” he shared.

“I can’t help but be hyperaware of little traits that I see in my kids and maybe where they could end up going one way or another as they get older. I think it’s helpful to have that perspective earlier on, so you can nudge them in a direction where they can utilize all their traits positively,” he continued.

Looking to The Future

“My lifestyle is all about staying healthy and focused. There’s nothing better than two beautiful children to keep you focused. And their mother, Viviane, is such a fantastic mother and so very helpful.”

Cameron can see a creative spark in his young children, something that is meaningful to him. He can tell it is a trait that runs in the family.

“It’s interesting. My son is just over 2, and he’s got a great disposition — always has a smile on his face and loves meeting new people,” he shared.

“But my daughter, she does really amazing imitations,” he added. “I don’t think she realizes it, but the first time she did it, she was imitating one of her friends, who is the son of a close friend of mine. And she didn’t preface the imitation by saying who she was imitating. She just started doing it, and I knew who it was. It was so spot on that it was a little creepy, like whoa.”

“It’s interesting because my whole family is involved in the arts, from my grandparents to my uncles, my father, my siblings. It’s just genetics, and she doesn’t even realize it.”

Cameron credits his recovery to the love and support from his family. “I think when somebody is really struggling, to have love and support is crucial. Because at least for myself, there are some parts of my life that were so dark that I was maybe starting to lose hope for myself,” he shared. “Then having the love and support of people that you also love and respect, it was just critical for me.”

Read More: Michael Douglas Felt a ‘Huge Storm’ Pass After a Family Tragedy (rare.us)